Chris Woolston
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Note: This article has been localised for an Irish audience.

Depression and loneliness put a terrible strain on the heart, and not just in the emotional sense: psychological distress can turn a survivor of heart disease into a victim. Researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute tracked 222 heart attack survivors and found that those suffering from depression were roughly six times more likely than others to die within six months of their attack. The researchers later found that depression also led to an eight-fold increase in death rates 18 months after a heart attack.

Loneliness takes a similar toll. In a US study of 1,400 men and women with at least one severely blocked artery, the unmarried patients without close friends were three times more likely than the others to die over the next five years.

Depression may even help heart disease get its start. Several studies have suggested that depressed people who are otherwise healthy are more likely to develop heart disease than peers who aren't depressed. For example, a 13-year study of 1,500 subjects conducted -- in the US found that an episode of depression increased the risk of a heart attack more than four-fold. These studies take smoking and other factors into account, providing strong evidence that depression alone is enough to cut down a once-healthy heart.

Doctors don't know exactly why the blues appear to be so dangerous, but it's clear that depression affects the heart in numerous ways. For one thing, depression tends to smooth out the normal ups and downs in heart rate, a sign that the organ may be weaker and less flexible. And for unknown reasons, mental distress seems to encourage blood cells called platelets to clump together, possibly setting the stage for artery-clogging blood clots.

Finally, a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that severe depression and anxiety could more than double the risk of developing hypertension, a major contributor to heart disease.

If you suffer from heart disease, easing your mind just might prolong your life. A recent study in the US found that a stress-management programme cut the chances that a heart patient would suffer a heart attack or need surgery by 74 percent. And although nobody knows if anti-depressants can help fight heart disease, there's reason to be optimistic. A psychiatrist at Emory University School of Medicine has found that giving the antidepressant paroxetine to heart attack survivors made their platelets less "sticky" and reduces their risks of blood clots.

AWARE-helping to defeat depression. Tel. 01 6766166.

Irish Heart Foundation. Tel. 01 6685001.

This article has been revised by Vhihealthe for its audience and may contain, among other things, information or medical practices that are unique to Ireland. Neither Consumer Health Interactive nor the original author make any warranty as to the accuracy of the article as revised, and assume no responsibility for modified content.

First published June 21, 2001
Copyright © 2000 Consumer Health Interactive

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